Golf is a popular recreational and professional sport that is enjoyed by millions of individuals across the globe. As it is an outdoor activity, rainfall often interferes with a round of golf and the golfer must always be prepared for golfing in inclement weather. Along these lines, golfers often employ protective equipment to help keep their golf clubs dry during rain as water on the golf club will hinder golf shots and will possibly result in degradation of portions of the golf clubs such as the grips and shafts. As such, to limit the effects of rainfall during a round of golf from detracting from a player's resulting score, it is desired to keep the golf clubs as dry as possible.
A standard item carried by all golfers is an umbrella that can be opened to shield the golf clubs from the rain. Umbrellas may be mounted to the back of a golf cart so that the open canopy extends over the golf clubs held by a golf bag on the back of the cart. The user will exit the golf cart and move the umbrella up vertically to allow room for him or her to pull a desired golf club out of the golf bag. Upward movement of the umbrella may allow rain to strike the golf club or may cause the golfer to be exposed to rain. The golfer will then carry the golf club in one hand and the umbrella in the other and walk to the specific location where the shot is to be taken. The golf club may become wet through rainfall when carried by the hand of the golfer when walking under the umbrella. The golfer could inadvertently move the golf club from under the canopy or rain could blow in under the canopy of the umbrella to get the grip or other portion of the golf club wet.
Various attempts to keep a golf club dry during inclement weather have been attempted. One such design involves fitting an attachment mechanism to the frame of the umbrella that is under the canopy of the umbrella. A golf club is attached to the attachment mechanism and the user can hold a grip of the umbrella and walk to the desired spot while the golf club remains held by the attachment mechanism. With such a configuration, it is difficult to close the umbrella because the presence of the attachment mechanism or even golf club within the attachment mechanism will interfere with the frame when moving into the closed position. Also, the user will have to move the umbrella vertically upwards when inserting the golf club into the attachment mechanism because additional room is needed to transfer the golf club from the golf bag to the attachment mechanism.
Another device known to assist golfers in golfing during the rain involves the provision of a clip device attached to the stem of the umbrella. One or more golf clubs are attached to the clip device and hence retained onto the umbrella. The user can then walk to a desired location, remove either one of the golf clubs, and then make a golf shot. However, upon putting down the umbrella, the golf club that is still retained on the clip device will become wet. Further, the clip device and retained golf clubs will interfere with the user grasping the handle of the umbrella. Further, with such a device it is difficult to close the umbrella because the clip device may prevent a sliding component of the frame from moving back towards the handle of the umbrella to effect closure of the canopy. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.